I get asked a lot whether a Nissan Leaf or a Tesla can reliably power a home for a week. It's a tempting idea: your car doubles as a giant battery, keeping lights on, refrigerators running, and maybe even a small heater humming while the grid is down — or allowing you to go off-grid for a short stretch. I've tested concepts, read owner reports, and dug into specs and real-world consumption....
I recently helped a neighbour replace an ageing gas boiler with an air-source heat pump. Watching the first winter...
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how home batteries fit into real people’s lives — not just as shiny...
I’ve been watching the rise of community solar paired with shared batteries for several years now, and I’m...
I get asked a lot: "Will perovskite solar roofs survive UK weather, and what real performance can I expect?" It's a...
I started thinking about the real climate impact of everyday kitchen choices after we replaced our old gas hob with an...
I often get asked to demystify the wiring around hybrid inverters, and one phrase keeps coming up in conversations with...
I’ve been watching the rise of community solar paired with shared batteries for several years now, and I’m convinced this combination could be a powerful lever for local councils trying to cut their energy bills while delivering social and environmental benefits. But the question I get asked...
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I get asked a lot: "Will perovskite solar roofs survive UK weather, and what real performance can I expect?" It's a fair question. After years covering renewables and talking to researchers, installers and early-adopter homeowners, I’ve formed a practical view that balances excitement with...
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I started thinking about the real climate impact of everyday kitchen choices after we replaced our old gas hob with an induction one and upgraded our extraction system. Friends asked whether the swap was just about convenience and cleaner indoor air — or if it actually made a measurable dent in...
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I often get asked to demystify the wiring around hybrid inverters, and one phrase keeps coming up in conversations with installers and homeowners: schémas de raccordement pour onduleur hybride. In this article I’ll walk you through practical wiring diagrams, applicable standards, and the common...
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I’ve always loved road trips. There’s something about the open road, changing landscapes and the freedom to stop where you want. As an EV driver and someone who writes about energy, one question keeps coming up: can rapid EV charging hubs be powered entirely by local renewables, and what does...
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I used to think cutting my heating bills meant one thing: installing a new heat pump. But after a few winters of testing smarter, cheaper approaches—smart blinds, a few behavioural shifts, and some low-cost draught-proofing—I’ve come to believe you can shave a meaningful chunk off your energy...
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When I walk down the streets of my neighbourhood in the UK as winter approaches, I can’t help but think about the fragility of our power supply. Cold snaps, aging infrastructure, and rising demand put households at risk of blackouts — and every year the same question resurfaces: what is the...
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I often get asked whether an electric vehicle can save the day during a blackout. Having lived through a few power outages and experimented with vehicle-to-home (V2H) setups, I can tell you that yes — your EV can power your home, but it’s far from plug-and-play for most people. In this piece...
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When I first started following perovskite solar panels a few years ago, I was excited by the promise: lightweight, potentially cheaper, and rapidly improving efficiency. As the founder and chief author of Energy News, I’ve since spent a lot of time speaking with researchers, installers, product...
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I’ve been watching community energy projects evolve for years, and one development that keeps catching my attention is community-owned batteries. These systems are more than a technical novelty — they’re practical tools councils can use to shave energy costs, stabilise local grids, and create...
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